Creative Sandwich Fillings – Leftovers reinvented!

I went into the office the other day with my shirt on backwards.  It was a simple, knit pullover – so ordinarily, this might be understandable. However, it was a maternity pullover.  So we’re talking heavy runching and gathering, with an excess of fabric where the belly goes. How do you get that wrong?

I noticed the boo-boo when I went to the washroom a couple of hours into my day and, upon doing the standard how-does-my-butt-look-in-these-pants backwards glance in the mirror on my way out the door, I noticed that the back of my shirt looked like a giant deflated balloon.  Very attractive.

I fixed it, and carried on with my day.  It was only when I got home and changed that I noticed a smear of peanut butter on the actual back of the shirt.  My powers of deduction tell me that while I had it on the wrong way, I got my breakfast all over myself, didn’t notice, switched my shirt around, and spent the remainder of the day with peanut butter between my shoulder blades. This is when I to bed where I was safe and sound, with a bowl of avocado frozen yogurt and season one of LOST.

Lesson learned: two brains in your body does not offer the guaranteed mental prowess I’d hoped it would, even when you just know your kid’s gonna be a genius.  

With the limited mental resources I am experiencing, I find myself leaning heavily on super-convenient, fast meals. Especially at lunch.

I am not a big leftovers person.  I eat something once, really enjoy it, and move on! I don’t want to see last night’s salmon on my plate again the next day. I’m okay with it only if it’s reincarnated as something different. Which is why I love minced sandwich fillings!

My grandmother (not this one, the other one) would make me minced pork sandwiches, studded with bits of tangy relish, slathered between pillowy soft slices of white bread.  She’d always cut them into triangles (which I’ve figured out tastes better because it optimizes the crust-to-surface-area ratio. Draw a square and cut in triangles, then draw another one and cut in squares – see what I mean?).

These days, I make delicious sandwich fillings with leftover fish, pork, beef or even beans! I don’t limit myself to bread, either – I enjoy it on crackers (as photographed), on toast, wrapped in a tortilla, scooped up on/wrapped up in lettuce or endive leaves, or with sturdy veggies like cucumber slices, radish slices, celery sticks, etc.

There are lots of optional flavour boosters, too.  I’m partial to relish with pork, horseradish and green onions with beef, capers and lemon with fish… but there’s lots of room to be creative.  And I often cut the mayo with some thick greek yogurt – it’s just as creamy, lighter and adds a really pleasant tang that cuts the richness of the meat.

Sandwich Filling – Leftovers reinvented!

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Author: Jennifer Hill

Serves: 1-6

Ingredients

• Leftover beef, pork, fish, chicken or beans
• Mayonnaise (or a combination of mayonnaise and greek yogurt), to taste
• Optional additions, like green onions, shallot, olives, capers, pickles, relish, horseradish, etc.
• A squeeze of lemon, optional
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Pulse leftover protein and any large optional additions (like shallot, whole pickles, whole olives) in a food processor until coarsely minced (you don’t want it to be pureed).
2. Stir in mayonnaise and any optional additions that are already in small bits (like relish, horseradish, capers). Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
3. Serve between slices of bread, or on crackers, toast, wrapped in a tortilla, scooped up on/wrapped up in lettuce or endive leaves, or with sturdy veggies like cucumber slices, radish slices, celery sticks, etc.

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